Ma Soleil
Chapter Two: What They Said
Disclaimer: All Marvel Characters are the property of Marvel. This is a work of fanfiction, not an attempt to infringe on Stan Lee's personal arsenal of hotties. I can wish all I like, but Sabes is never gonna show up to collect me, and that's that. Oh, yeah, I'm making zero profit off this and if you want Beck, just ask. X-Cell is my own invention, and it includes the members of the former Generation X (e.g. Husk, M, Skin, Jubilee, Chamber, Leech, and Artie Maddocks, now known as Vision) and is headed by Jubilation Lee and X-Man.
Quick note: Jono has rebuilt his face, and can use his powers to project sound. However, much of his body is still psionic energy, and the hole in his chest is still there.
As always, the lifeblood of the fanfiction author is reviews. I will respect constructive criticism, but flames are sincerely unappreciated. My e-mail address is seraph_taurus@thekeyz.com. Thanks for your time and God bless.
XXX
"Soleil, welcome back."
"Thanks, Summers. It's been a while."
"'Ey, p'tite, whatchya been doin' dat's kept ya 'way fo'e so long?"
"I've been in Europe, actually. Jobs. I'm working with Chris Warden, unofficially."
"Ooh, he's such a hottie, sugah! Do tell!"
"I haven't seen you for a half-year, Rogue. Go easy on me." Rebecca hissed into the Southern woman's ear.
"And ya haven't seen X-Cell in sixteen yeahs, so talk fast." Rogue murmured back, squeezing her friend's hand.
"I'll tell you later on. Does the Cajun still brood on the roof?"
"We ain't tagetha, sugah. But yeah, he does."
"Fantastic."
"That'd betta not be a 'he's single so let's jump his bones' fantastic."
"Nothing of the sort, darling." Rebecca smiled. "So, I hear my brother is absent?"
Jubilee lifted her head off Logan's lap long enough to say, "He's on tour in Japan."
"Ohh. And when will he be back?"
"Soon."
"Ah. And the Professor? I have some power developments to discuss with him."
"He's. . .not heah." Rogue's eyes dropped to her hands.
"Where is he, then?"
Logan met her eyes squarely, something he'd only done once or twice before in their long association. "He ain't doin' too well, Soleil. A week'r so ago he started losin' control o' his powers, an' he just disappeared."
"So none of you know where to find him?" she stood up, her too-large hands fisting tightly. "He is your leader! Regardless of the Onslaught fiasco, you ought to be looking for him!"
"Calm down, kid, he ain't lost. We got a message from him a coupl'a days ago, tellin' us he was in outer space with Princess Lilandra. She's helpin' him calm it down an' they're still diagnosin' the problems."
"Problems?" her voice was devoid of emotion. "As in more than one?"
"Oui, p'tite," Gambit put a hand on her shoulder. "Sorry y' had t' find out dis way."
"I would have relayed the information to you, but you didn't show up on our tracers and you've been blocking Cerebro." Scott stated, eyebrows drawing together slightly.
"This is great." Rebecca took a deep breath, steadying her shaken body and mind, aligning herself mentally until her soul was centered in the pit of her stomach. She slowly lowered herself back onto the couch between Sam and Rogue. "I'm sorry I wasn't available. I may have been able to help. Where is Jean?"
"She joined him as soon as she heard the news. He thought that perhaps having her there might steady him."
"I see. Well, there's no sense in my being a killjoy. I'll. . .ah. . .find a motel to stay at, and when Jonothon returns, you could inform me, or I'll call or. . ."
"Liebling, stay." Kurt bounded over the couch just as his pseudo-sister moved out of the way, grasping Rebecca's hands in both of his. "There is no need for you to leave your family when you have just returned."
"This isn't my family, Kurt. This is yours. I don't belong here." She disentangled herself from her friend and wheeled out of the room, leaving everyone stunned.
XXX
*RRRRIIINNNNGGGG!*
*CLICK*
"If this is anyone out of that rot mansion, I'm blasting yer ter th' second circle o' hell." The voice at the other end of the telephone was groggy, as though it had just been wakened from deep slumber.
"Jono?" Rebecca inquired hesitantly, though she knew it was her brother.
"'Oo's this?"
"This is Rebecca."
"Reb. . .'oo?" his voice sharpened, becoming mildly annoyed.
"The one that married the psycho-murderer."
"Soleil?"
"Everyone's calling me that now, I guess."
"So, wot's up? 'Ow come yer callin' me now?"
"Just thought I should check up on my big brother."
"Yeh, well. I'm fine." The annoyance became clearer in the shortness of his words and the way he bit them off.
"Sorry."
"Fer wot?"
"Not visiting. Not calling. Don't think that I didn't want to. I just. . ."
"If yeh heard about M an' yer ex, I ain't angry."
"I heard. But before that, I just. . .I wanted to, but I had stuff. I had jobs, and. . .I don't really have a good excuse, actually."
"Were yer scared, Sol?"
"Yeah." Her voice whispered over the lines like the brush of a feather.
"'S excuse enough, gel. Ain't like I couldn't've contacted you."
"I don't know, Jonothon, I was well hidden."
"Well. It's good ter hear yer voice, luv."
"I'm. . .I'm at a hotel in Salem Center."
"Wot?! 'Ow come yer not at the mansion? If M did anythin' ter make yer uncomfortable. .." his voice rose a notch.
"No, Jono, it isn't that. I just. . .they were out when I got there. I just didn't feel like confronting Rogue."
"'Ow come? She was one o' yer best friends, so Jubilee tells me."
"Yeah, but she's. . .she still considers me her own private soap opera. I don't really feel comfortable telling her everything that's happened in my life during the past six months."
"Six months? 'Ow much could'a happened in a six months, luv?"
"Nothing! Well, a lot. But I don't wanna discuss it over the phone." There was silence for a moment, and then she chuckled softly.
"Wot is it, luv?"
"The last time we saw each other, I was pissed about being married to Victor Creed and plotting ways to get out of my marriage and your face was still absent while you angsted over Paige Guthrie. We were adolescents. We were what? Seventeen and eighteen? And now, I've gotten rid of Vic and you've got thousands of screaming fans willing to do anything to have you. . . and we've fallen into this. . .this banter. It's like all those years never passed and we're just as comfortable speaking with one another as if we had grown up together and never were apart."
After a few moments of reflection, he laughed himself and answered, "Yer right."
"Well. . .I have to go. How long is this tour going for?"
"Oh, I've got two more concerts. I'm on the train right now, actually. I'll be 'ome in a week'r so."
"Great. Hey, I'll see you then."
"Orright. Hey, Rebecca?"
"Yeah?"
"I. . .I love yeh, orright?"
"I love you, too, Jono."
*CLICK*
XXX
Chapter Two: What They Said
Disclaimer: All Marvel Characters are the property of Marvel. This is a work of fanfiction, not an attempt to infringe on Stan Lee's personal arsenal of hotties. I can wish all I like, but Sabes is never gonna show up to collect me, and that's that. Oh, yeah, I'm making zero profit off this and if you want Beck, just ask. X-Cell is my own invention, and it includes the members of the former Generation X (e.g. Husk, M, Skin, Jubilee, Chamber, Leech, and Artie Maddocks, now known as Vision) and is headed by Jubilation Lee and X-Man.
Quick note: Jono has rebuilt his face, and can use his powers to project sound. However, much of his body is still psionic energy, and the hole in his chest is still there.
As always, the lifeblood of the fanfiction author is reviews. I will respect constructive criticism, but flames are sincerely unappreciated. My e-mail address is seraph_taurus@thekeyz.com. Thanks for your time and God bless.
XXX
"Soleil, welcome back."
"Thanks, Summers. It's been a while."
"'Ey, p'tite, whatchya been doin' dat's kept ya 'way fo'e so long?"
"I've been in Europe, actually. Jobs. I'm working with Chris Warden, unofficially."
"Ooh, he's such a hottie, sugah! Do tell!"
"I haven't seen you for a half-year, Rogue. Go easy on me." Rebecca hissed into the Southern woman's ear.
"And ya haven't seen X-Cell in sixteen yeahs, so talk fast." Rogue murmured back, squeezing her friend's hand.
"I'll tell you later on. Does the Cajun still brood on the roof?"
"We ain't tagetha, sugah. But yeah, he does."
"Fantastic."
"That'd betta not be a 'he's single so let's jump his bones' fantastic."
"Nothing of the sort, darling." Rebecca smiled. "So, I hear my brother is absent?"
Jubilee lifted her head off Logan's lap long enough to say, "He's on tour in Japan."
"Ohh. And when will he be back?"
"Soon."
"Ah. And the Professor? I have some power developments to discuss with him."
"He's. . .not heah." Rogue's eyes dropped to her hands.
"Where is he, then?"
Logan met her eyes squarely, something he'd only done once or twice before in their long association. "He ain't doin' too well, Soleil. A week'r so ago he started losin' control o' his powers, an' he just disappeared."
"So none of you know where to find him?" she stood up, her too-large hands fisting tightly. "He is your leader! Regardless of the Onslaught fiasco, you ought to be looking for him!"
"Calm down, kid, he ain't lost. We got a message from him a coupl'a days ago, tellin' us he was in outer space with Princess Lilandra. She's helpin' him calm it down an' they're still diagnosin' the problems."
"Problems?" her voice was devoid of emotion. "As in more than one?"
"Oui, p'tite," Gambit put a hand on her shoulder. "Sorry y' had t' find out dis way."
"I would have relayed the information to you, but you didn't show up on our tracers and you've been blocking Cerebro." Scott stated, eyebrows drawing together slightly.
"This is great." Rebecca took a deep breath, steadying her shaken body and mind, aligning herself mentally until her soul was centered in the pit of her stomach. She slowly lowered herself back onto the couch between Sam and Rogue. "I'm sorry I wasn't available. I may have been able to help. Where is Jean?"
"She joined him as soon as she heard the news. He thought that perhaps having her there might steady him."
"I see. Well, there's no sense in my being a killjoy. I'll. . .ah. . .find a motel to stay at, and when Jonothon returns, you could inform me, or I'll call or. . ."
"Liebling, stay." Kurt bounded over the couch just as his pseudo-sister moved out of the way, grasping Rebecca's hands in both of his. "There is no need for you to leave your family when you have just returned."
"This isn't my family, Kurt. This is yours. I don't belong here." She disentangled herself from her friend and wheeled out of the room, leaving everyone stunned.
XXX
*RRRRIIINNNNGGGG!*
*CLICK*
"If this is anyone out of that rot mansion, I'm blasting yer ter th' second circle o' hell." The voice at the other end of the telephone was groggy, as though it had just been wakened from deep slumber.
"Jono?" Rebecca inquired hesitantly, though she knew it was her brother.
"'Oo's this?"
"This is Rebecca."
"Reb. . .'oo?" his voice sharpened, becoming mildly annoyed.
"The one that married the psycho-murderer."
"Soleil?"
"Everyone's calling me that now, I guess."
"So, wot's up? 'Ow come yer callin' me now?"
"Just thought I should check up on my big brother."
"Yeh, well. I'm fine." The annoyance became clearer in the shortness of his words and the way he bit them off.
"Sorry."
"Fer wot?"
"Not visiting. Not calling. Don't think that I didn't want to. I just. . ."
"If yeh heard about M an' yer ex, I ain't angry."
"I heard. But before that, I just. . .I wanted to, but I had stuff. I had jobs, and. . .I don't really have a good excuse, actually."
"Were yer scared, Sol?"
"Yeah." Her voice whispered over the lines like the brush of a feather.
"'S excuse enough, gel. Ain't like I couldn't've contacted you."
"I don't know, Jonothon, I was well hidden."
"Well. It's good ter hear yer voice, luv."
"I'm. . .I'm at a hotel in Salem Center."
"Wot?! 'Ow come yer not at the mansion? If M did anythin' ter make yer uncomfortable. .." his voice rose a notch.
"No, Jono, it isn't that. I just. . .they were out when I got there. I just didn't feel like confronting Rogue."
"'Ow come? She was one o' yer best friends, so Jubilee tells me."
"Yeah, but she's. . .she still considers me her own private soap opera. I don't really feel comfortable telling her everything that's happened in my life during the past six months."
"Six months? 'Ow much could'a happened in a six months, luv?"
"Nothing! Well, a lot. But I don't wanna discuss it over the phone." There was silence for a moment, and then she chuckled softly.
"Wot is it, luv?"
"The last time we saw each other, I was pissed about being married to Victor Creed and plotting ways to get out of my marriage and your face was still absent while you angsted over Paige Guthrie. We were adolescents. We were what? Seventeen and eighteen? And now, I've gotten rid of Vic and you've got thousands of screaming fans willing to do anything to have you. . . and we've fallen into this. . .this banter. It's like all those years never passed and we're just as comfortable speaking with one another as if we had grown up together and never were apart."
After a few moments of reflection, he laughed himself and answered, "Yer right."
"Well. . .I have to go. How long is this tour going for?"
"Oh, I've got two more concerts. I'm on the train right now, actually. I'll be 'ome in a week'r so."
"Great. Hey, I'll see you then."
"Orright. Hey, Rebecca?"
"Yeah?"
"I. . .I love yeh, orright?"
"I love you, too, Jono."
*CLICK*
XXX